Jack bar for flat knitting machines



Oct. l, 1940. R. RIE-DEL 2,216,502

JACK BAR FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 2B, 1940 fall-FW? Attorney;

Patented Oct. 1, 1940 JACK BAB. FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Budoli' Riedel, Oberlungwitl, Germany, assigner A to Kallo, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation o! New York Application February 28, 1940, Serial No. 321,270 i In Germany January 17, 1939 BCIaiml.

- This invention relates to knitting machinery and more particularly. to a jack bar intended to be used in flat knitting machines of the type such as are commonly used in the manufacture of full fashioned hosiery of every description, the

main object of such jack bar being that of accommodating and guiding the movement of the Jacks adapted to actuate the sinkers.

The jacks are mounted in the jack bar between individual guide plates held in. place by a suitably milled bottom rail and by comb-like positioning rails also suitably milled or cut out. There have been usually provided two positioning rails, viz. one of them arranged infront of the guide plates and another one behind them, approximately above the middle portion of said guide plates. 'I'he positioning `rails have been usually arranged freely in front of and behind the jack bar, their only attachment being at the 80 side wall of such jack bar.

Experience has shown that where troubles in sinker operation occur as, for example, where the sinkers become jammed between their guide members, the additional load thrown on the sinker jalcks may cause the positioning rails above mentioned to be distorted. These rails are usually made of relatively thin stock because of limitations of space. I'he distortion of the rails may be followed by the displacement of the guide 80 plates from their respective cut-outs or slots in the positioning rails, resulting in a serious jam or smash-up of the machine.

'I'he primary object of this invention is to provide a jack bar which is formed so that when the rails are stressed more than usually, they will not be bent.

A further object of the invention is to provide the guide plates with suitable extensions iirmly holding or retaining the positioning rails o these extensions acting as hooks which provide s additional support to prevent outward as well as inward springing of the rails, so that any distortion of said rails is precluded.

With these and other objects in view this invention will be further explained inV detail with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 shows in cross section my improved Jack bar in its application to a knitting machine of the type referred to above.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a jack bar constructed in accordance with this my invention4 represented at a reduced scale.

Fig. 3 is a corresponding plan view. In order to show the position occupied by the Jack bar in a machine there are represented on (ci. se-no) Fig. 1 a head I, sinkers 2, a sinker head bottom bar I, and a sinker head cap bar 4.Y Furthermore a spring block B carrying springs 0 is shown.

The bottom rail of the Jack bar is designated by reference number 1. Said rail forms together 6 with the side members 8 of the jack bar a rigid frame. The side members I are also adapted to support a fulcrum bar 9 carrying the Jacks lil.

Between the individual `lacks I0 there are arranged guide plates Il retained in the transverse l0 grooves l2 of the bottomv rail 1 kby means of a cover piece 20. .The de plates Il are also engaged by their extensi vn I2 in a correspondingly milled longitudinal cut-out or groove i4 of the sam bottom rau. The guide plates are further 16 retained by positioning rails I5, I6 and I8 arranged in front and at the rear of said guide plates substantially above the middle portion thereof.` The rail I9 as shown in Fig. 1, is located at about the middle portion, but extends zo substantially above a line through the center of the guide plates to provide a support for the same immediately below the path of movement of the slur-cock cam 2|. Also said rails are corresponldingly milled, thus firmly securing the 25 guide plates Il in a direction longitudinal to the jack bar. As better to be seen from Fig. 1 the positioning rails i6 and i9 are arranged in immediate proximity above and below the slur cocks represented diagrammatically on said ligurev and so denoted by reference number 2|, said slur cocks moving on their guide `rail 22 represented in cross section. In this way the guide plates Il are firmly supported in those places where they are particularly exposed to stresses or injury. 3g

In order to prevent any iiection oi' the positioning rails I5, I6 and I9 the guide plates Il have formed thereon hook-like extensions I1, i8 and 2l firmly holding said positioning rails and thus rendering impossible any bending of o said rails which might tend to release or free the guide plates from their supporting slots.

From the foregoing it will be seen. that the present invention provides a Jack bar in which the rails retaining the guide plates are rigidly a held by suitable hook-like extensions formed on said plates, so that said positioning lrails will not bebent even if subject to unusual stresses.

As will be evident from Fig. 1 of the drawing a number of additional structural changes and im- 50 provementsl have been made in order to provide Y a practicable and easily assembled jack bar unit having the advantages of increasedrigidity of construction above outlined. One such improvement consists in the provision of an entirely dif- 55 ferent pivotal support for the jacks-from those.

ordinarily employed. With the present construction, the jacks are provided with closed bearing surfaces which are sleeved on`the fulcrum shaft 9. This construction and arrangement of the jack pivot bearings eliminates the necessity for the use of the usual locking bar. With the more usual constructions such a locking bar engages with arcuate locking surfaces formed on the jacks, and serves to hold the slotted pivot bearing surfaces with which the jacks would ordinarily be provided in engagement with the fulcrum shaft. Applicants positioning rail i! takes the place of this locking bar, and since it does not have the locking function above described. may be and preferably is located at a considerably higher level with respect to the pivotal axis of the jacks, that is, directly beneath the path of movement of the slur-cock 2l. The location of the positioning rails I5, It and I! herein employed, together with the improved form of supporting pivot, permits the jacks to be readily assembled or removed from the Jack bar. For removal of the jacks, it is necessary only to remove the pivot shaft 9 axially. For re-assembling the parts, it is necessary only to thread the sinkers successively onto the bar as it is thrust into place. With the more usual construction of the sinking bar, removal of the sinkers is effected by ilrst removing the locking bar above referred to. The present construction wherein it is unnecessary to remove the positioning rail I9 to release the jacks, compares favorably as to ease of assembly with the prior art constructions in which it has been attempted to provide additional support for the guide plates or punchings, by slotting the locking bar. With such a construction, it has been found a very diilicult matter to replace the locking bar, for the reason that it is necessary to accurately align all of the approximately 200 guide plates before the locking bar can be fitted into place.

It will be understood that the present invention may be embodied in other specic forms as those illustrated and described above without departing from the spirit thereof. The illustrated embodiment has to be considered as an illustrative and not restrictive one, the scope of the invention being indicated in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a at knitting machine having sinkers. jacks for advancing the sinkers, and a slur-cock cam having a traversing path of movement for actuating the jacks, a jack head unit including a bottom rail, side members at each end of the head unit, guide plates separatingindividual jacks formed with hook-like extensions, positioning rails slotted to receive said guide plates and arranged for locking engagement within said hook-like extensions, said rails including one such rail supporting the forward side of each guide plate, and two such rails being arranged to support the rear side of each of said guide plates at opposite sides of the path followed by the slurcock cam.

2. In a sinker jack head for flat knitting machines having a traversingslur-cock cam, a series of individually movable Jacks arranged to be acted upon by the slur-cock cam, guide plates separating individual jacks, and slotted positioning rails for the guide plates, said guide plates having hook-like projections to engage with and lock the rails in position.

3. In a sinker jack'head for flat knitting machines having a" traversing slur-cock cam, a series of individually movable jacks arranged to be acted upon by the slur-cock cam, guide plates separating individual jacks, and slotted positioning rails for the guide plates, said guide plates having hook-like projections `to engage with and lock the rails in position, said rails including a pair of rails engaging the rear sides of said guide plates immediately`above and beneath the path of movement of said slur-cock cam.

4. In a flat knitting machine having sinkers,

jacks for advancing the sinkers, and a slur-cock cam having a. traversing path of movement for actuating the jacks, a jack head unit including a bottom rail, side members at each end of the head unit, guide plates separating individual jacks, a fulcrum bar, said jacks having a closed sleeve connection with said bar, and a plurality of positioning rails slotted for engagement with the guide plates,said rails including a slotted guide rail engaging the forward side of said guide plates, and a pair of slotted guide rails engaging the rear sides of said guide plates immediately above and below the path of traverse of said slurcock cam.

5. In a at knitting machine having sinkers, jacks for advancing the sinkers, and a. slur-cock cam having a traversing path of movement for actuating the jacks, a sinker jack head unit including a bottom rail, side members at each end of the head unit, guide plates separating individual jacks formed with hook-like extensions, a fulcrum bar, said jacks having closed bearing connections with said bar, and a plurality of positioning rails slotted for engagement with the guide plates and arranged for locking engagement within said hook-like extensions, said rails including a rail engaging the forward side of said guide plates, and a pair of slotted rails engaging the rear sides of said guide plates immediately above and below the path of traverse of said slur-cock cam. A

6. In a sinker jack head for a ilat knitting machine having a traversing slur-cock cam, a series of individually movable jacks arranged to be acted upon by the slur-cock cam, guide plates separating individual jacks, a bottom rail slotted to receive the guide plates, side members at each end of the sinker head unit, slotted positioning rails for the guide plates located substantially above the middle portion of said guide plates, said rails including a slotted rail engaging the forward sides of the guide plates, and a pair of slotted rails engaging the rear sides of said guide plates immediately above and beneath the path of movement of the slur-cock cam, and a fulcrum bar having self-locking pivotal connections with all o'f said jacks, all of said positioning rails and jacks being located and arranged to permit the withdrawal of individual Jacks from therebetween upon'axial removal of the fulcrum bar.

RUDOLF RIEDEL. 

